Chicago Fire fans will be surprised to see a familiar face when they watch Benedict Cumberbatch’s upcoming Netflix project. Jeff Hephner, who played Lt. Jeff Clarke on Chicago Fire and Chicago Med, will have a major role in the Netflix U.K. production Eric. Hephner also recently starred in Apple TV+’s For All Mankind and Starz’s Power Book II: Ghost.
Eric stars Cumberbatch as Vincent Anderson, a grief-stricken TV puppeteer whose young son goes missing. He finds solace through his friendship with the title character, a monster that lives under his son’s bed. Hephner was cast as Richard Catillo, a politician who works for the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Motion Pictures and Television, reports Deadline. Gabby Hoffman plays Vincent’s wife, Cassie, who is tired of his womanizing. The cast also includes McKinley Belcher III, Dan Fogler, and Phoebe Nicholls.
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Abi Morgan created the six-episode series. Morgan won an Emmy in 2013 for writing the BBC miniseries The Hour (2011-2012), starring Ben Whishaw and Dominic West. She also wrote the films The Iron Lady and Suffragette. Morgan, Cumberbatch, Jane Featherstone, Lucy Dyke, and Lucy Forbes will serve as executive producers. Sister, the independent studio behind HBO’s hit Chernobyl, will produce with Morgan’s Little Chick. Lucy Forbes (The End of the F***ing World) will direct.
“Eric is a dark and crazy journey into the heart of 1980’s New York, and the good bad, and ugly world of Vincent, a genius puppeteer on one of America’s leading kids TV shows,” Morgan said in a statement to Variety. “The chance to work with Benedict and the creative team at Sister and Netflix is irresistible. With Lucy Forbes at the directorial helm, I feel fortunate to be working at a time of such great creativity in our industry. Fingers crossed Eric will be a welcome addition.”
Hephner starred as Lt. Jeff Clarke on NBC’s Chicago Fire from 2013 to 2017. The character also appeared on Chicago Med from 2016 to 2017. Hephner’s other credits include Hellcats, Boss, The O.C., Easy Money, and Mars. He was last seen in a recurring role on Starz’s Power Book II: Ghost and starred in four episodes of Apple TV+’s For All Mankind. In November 2022, he signed up to host the Game Show Network’s Switch.
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NEW YORK CITY – DECEMBER 19: "Toil and Trouble" – Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf) who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side, on the CBS original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Dec. 19 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke. (Photo by Michael Parmelee/CBS via Getty Images)
